Our Model
DEP is a one-year incubator. It takes a driven university student with a promising idea and turns it into a startup with its first real users.
We follow a proven methodology from the world’s leading business schools for taking an idea to a startup in one year. Every lesson ends with work your team presents, so progress is always visible. Each venture meets weekly with a named advisor and has access to mentors and industry leaders.
Goal
Carry a driven student’s idea all the way through execution: validated, built, launched, and in front of real users in Puerto Rico.
The Year
- January — Onboarding. Kick off, sign your team agreement and write a first brief on the problem you want to solve.
- January to May — Validate and define. Talk to real customers, define your first market and your product. Ends with the Validation Checkpoint.
- June to July — Design. A lighter stretch that works around internships. Define your first product and your team budget. Ends with the Design Checkpoint.
- August to December — Build and launch. Build your product, test it with real users, and learn pricing, fundraising and pitching. Ends with the Launch Checkpoint.
- December — Demo Day. Present your journey and a live product.
Benefits
A named advisor
Weekly guidance from an advisor assigned to your startup for the full year, with access to advisors.
A real budget
A Foundation-managed budget for real needs like prototypes and materials. The program takes no equity.
A team that can build
Software startups are matched with a technical builder from the CoLAB Program. Physical products and services are supported by program staff.
A path forward
Alumni stay in the Foundation’s pipeline, keep their mentorship, and are connected to incubators and accelerators. The strongest ventures move onto the path toward REP.
Two Lanes
- Lane A — a software or technology product. The product is built by a matched builder from the CoLAB Program, or by the founder directly if they are able to build.
- Lane B — a physical product or a service. The startup is developed with the support of program staff and the curriculum team. The team budget matters most here, for prototypes and materials.
You choose your lane when you apply. The placement can change as your idea develops, and the program adapts. Both lanes share the same core curriculum and separate only at the build stage.
Alumni
Finishing DEP does not end the relationship. Alumni continue to receive mentorship from the program and stay part of the Foundation’s pipeline, connected to the wider ecosystem and supported as they apply to other incubators and accelerators.
The strongest ventures are identified at Demo Day for the continuity path toward the Rising Entrepreneurs Program.
Key Dates
Applications
Opens November 1, 2026. Closes December 11, 2026.
Interviews and selection
December 2026
Onboarding and kickoff
January 2027
Validate and define
January to May 2027
Design sprint
June to July 2027
Build and launch
August to December 2027
Demo Day
December 2027
Ready to carry an idea through?
The Driven Entrepreneurs Program is one year between having an idea and having a product real people use.
Applications open November 1, 2026.